1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to internal combustion engines and more particularly to fuel preconditioners and carburetors which, when applied to motor vehicles, obviates the need for conventional carburetors and enables vastly improved gasoline mileage to be obtained while providing reduced pollutant emissions. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to catalytic preconditioners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is highly desirable that gasoline fuel entering the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine be in the form of a vapor which is well mixed with air at a selected ratio. It is also highly desirable that the fuel be catalyzed to the shortest molecular chains possible immediately before injection into the cylinders to maximize efficiency.
Various types of fuel-air mixing chambers are described in the prior art, including systems designed for mixing and warming air and atomized fuel to provide a highly combustible mixture of fuel and air. However, the tendency to experience incomplete combustion of fuel and air mixtures continues to cause problems for designers of internal combustion engines, particularly those engaged in the research and design of systems to reduce the level of atmospheric contamination. In this regard, incomplete combustion has long been recognized as a primary source of noxious gases which contaminate the atmosphere.
The injection of fuel droplets into the cylinders results in incomplete combustion in that only the fuel molecules on the exterior surface of the droplet mix properly with oxygen for complete combustion. All internal molecules of the droplet are oxygen starved and are exhausted as unburned hydrocarbons to pollute the atmosphere. Devices, as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,215, issued to J. W. Glass, have been devised to provide a solution to this problem. Such devices generally require optimum temperature stabilization or introduce water or steam to effectuate proper vaporization.
Accordingly, while there currently exists a need for an improved practical system which is readily employable in preconditioning fuel-air mixtures, and which is particularly suited for preheating and homogenizing fuel-air mixtures while employing a minimum of movable parts, no practical system has yet found its way to the marketplace.
The chemically correct air/fuel mixture for total burning of gasoline has been determined to be 15 parts air to one part gasoline or 15/1 by weight. Changing this to a volume ratio yields 8000 parts air to one part gasoline or 8,000/1 by volume. The system of the present invention vaporizes liquid fuel before the fuel enters the engine. Theoretically, a homogenous mixture can yield gas mileage in excess of 300 miles per gallon. The world record for auto gas mileage was sent in October 1973 by a 1959 Opel station wagon with a highly modified engine. The car traveled 376.59 miles on a single gallon of gasoline during a Shell Oil Co. contest at Wood River, Ill.
The use of catalysts to increase octane for superior combustion is also well known. Catalysts are used in catalytic converters to break down molecular chains for burning, but such use does not produce useable energy. A number of inventions, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,317, issued to J. C. Hughes et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,645, issued to H. Nohira et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,746, issued to R. H. Thring and U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,911 issued to A. G. Bodine, provide catalytic combustion for improving efficiency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,816, issued to B. J. Robinson utilizes a soluble catalyst which is injected into the cylinders for the same purpose. Catalytic cracking is also well known in the production of gasoline. The octane number of straight run cracked stocks can be increased by catalytic forming, generally over a platinum containing catalyst which isomerizes cyclopentanes to cyclohexanes and dehydrogenates naphthenes to aromatics. Cracking continues until a desired composition of paraffins, napthenes; olefins, aromatics, etc., are obtained. Excessive cracking results in production of excessive amounts of highly volatile gaseous products which are highly desirable for combustion but not desirable for handling, storage, and dispensing purposes. All known vaporization preconditioners and catalytic preconditioners require a separate carburetor.